The remote control devices of integrated receiver/decoder apparatus, such as Set Top Boxes (STB), are often provided with the ability to control the operation of other connected audio visual (AV) equipment, such as televisions, video playback devices, and amplifiers. This allows the user to pick up only a single remote control (the STB remote control) to control both the STB, with which it is supplied, and the other equipment. Typically, the types of operation that can be controlled is limited to volume control, switching the power on and off, selecting which AV input is to be viewed on a display screen, and which television channel is to be viewed. However, more complicated remote controls exist that allow control of wider functionality, and simultaneous control of more than one device.
Remote controls shipped for use with a STB are programmed to operate with the STB by default. The memory of the remote control stores the necessary address and commands signals appropriate for the STB with which it is to be used. To control the operation of other AV devices, such as connected audio visual equipment, the STB remote control must also store in memory the necessary address and command information for the other device, and must then be configured or programmed to communicate with that device by means of those control codes. For example, if the remote control is to be able to control the power, volume, channel selection, or input mode of a television receiver, it will need to store or be programmed with the address and command data for controlling that television.
Many STB remote controls will be pre-programmed with a plurality of candidate address and command codes for controlling different models of AV equipment produced by different manufacturers. As it is not possible to predict the device a user will connect to the STB, the user is usually required to follow a configuration procedure to set up the remote control for their connected device. This procedure can be complex.
Typically, a configuration procedure involves quickly depressing the power button on the remote control to enter a programming mode, followed by subsequent presses of the up and down directional buttons on the remote control keypad. This causes the remote control to cycle through the address and command codes pre-stored in memory in an attempt to identify codes that control the connected audio equipment. Usually the control code that is transmitted is the power off signal, so if the STB remote is to be programmed to control a television device that is powered on, the user will know that they have found the correct code via the programming operation, when the TV turns off. The user can then press another button (the pound or # key for example) to exit the programming mode and save the identified code in memory for future use. In this way, the power control command that is identified as being appropriate for controlling the connected television can be used as a key into the other control codes (such as for volume, input mode, channel) that are pre-stored in memory.
Alternatively, the necessary remote control codes for each television and audio/visual device that may be controlled by the remote control device may be made available via the publication of paper or electronic manuals. To program a remote control, a user would then press a pre-set combination of keys on the remote control to enter a programming mode, and subsequently to enter the appropriate remote control codes identified in the manual.
Other remote control devices may learn the appropriate control codes for operating another device during a remote control training procedure. The user presses a key combination instructing the remote control to enter a learning mode. The user then presses a key on the remote control being programmed and a corresponding key on the dedicated remote control for the connected device. The remote control being programmed detects the command transmitted by the dedicated remote control and stores this in memory for the key that had been depressed. This process continues until all of the desired keys have been programmed.
The process of programming a remote control can however be confusing or troublesome for some users, who may choose instead to abandon the programming process and leave the remote control programmed only to operate with the STB. This means that the additional functionality of the STB is not being fully used. It also means that the user may experience difficulties later in operating the STB connected equipment.
For example, many STBs have a built-in volume control that sets the volume of the television signal output to the connected television. The television may also amplify this signal using its own volume control before output at connected speakers. There are therefore two volume controls connected in series, one for the STB and one for the television. The built-in volume control on the STB is useful, as it avoids the need to change the volume control on the television. However, where the STB remote control is not programmed to operate the television, a user may forget about one or the other of the volume controls, and having accidentally set the volume to mute or a low value on the STB wonder why the television volume is difficult to hear.
We have appreciated that it would be desirable to improve the communication between remote control, STB and connected AV equipment so that full remote control functionality is available to the user.